Nebraska’s be warned – the “can you hear me” scam is picking up steam

The Better Business Bureau – Nebraska is issuing a warning about a new scam called “can you hear me?”. President Jim Hegarty says businesses started getting the call last month but it now spread to consumers. The typical answer is “yes” and that is where the setup starts.

Hegarty says, “People are getting this strange robo-call at their homes, or it is an actual person asking them “can you hear me”. The idea is to get them to say yes. They are recording it and later are going to attach that to some script agreeing to purchase a service or a product.” The businesses or individuals then get a bill and the scammers claim they have an individual who has agreed to the terms of the purchase. He says in some cases they are using threatening methods to get victims to pay up.

Hegarty says since last Friday the BBB received hundreds of thousands of calls all across the United States, including many in Nebraska, reporting this scam.

Hegarty says if you don’t recognize a number on your caller ID, don’t answer it. He says if it is important the caller will leave a message and you can return their call. If you don’t have caller ID you are advised to simply hang up.